Aeration apparatus



May 27, 1941- A.- J. WEINIG 2,243,301 AEBATIQN APPARATUS Filed Dec. 15, 195s ARTHUR J WE//v/G Patented May 27, 1941 AERATION APPARATUS Arthur J. Weinig, Golden, Colo., kassigner to Morse Bros. Machinery Company, Denver, Colo., a corporation of Colorado Application December 15, 1938, Serial No. 245,866

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for agitation and aeration of fluent matter. There are numerous industries in which the intimate and thorough mixing of a gas with fluent matter is of high importance. By fluent matter 5 ment in agitation and aeration heretofore unis meant any liquid, semi-liquid or mixture of known. liquid with solids either in solution or in sus.. The present apparatus is also well adapted to pension or any other combination of matter that a conditioning process as hereinabove referred has the general properties of a fluid. to, particularly the conditioning of a pulp prior As a typical example of a practical applicato a cyanide treatment. Furthermore, in certain tion of the present apparatus, its benefit to the industrial operations, it is sometimes desirable art of mineral flotation may be considered. t0 Supply heat, 0I' Conversely, t0 remOVe heat Briefly, mineral flotation is commonly practiced units from a body of uent matter together with by Preparing a pulp containing the minerals to aeration and agitation. Under these conditions, be separated, subjecting the pulp to agitation and heat units might `l0@ Supplied t0 2' fluent body aeration, and floating one or more of the conthrough the intermediary of the present appastituents of the pulp which may be either the ratus and method, using steam Vor super-heated wanted or unwanted factors. Such pulp is typisteam as the ,gasj or pre-heated air or any other cally prepared by grinding ore containing one gas. Or for the removal of heat units from a or more valuable constituents and mixing it fluid body, gas at a temperature below that of either during or after the grinding with a liquid, said body maybe introduced by the present apcommonly water, and adding one or more otaparatus and method. 0r heat units can be abtion reagents having a selective alnity for the sorbed by allowing gas to expand `from high prescomponent to be iloated. The reagent may be sure to lowpressure within the body of the pulp. added to the pulp in a conditioner process prior Therefore, the principal object of the present to the actual flotation or Athe reagent may be invention is to provide apparatus whereby a body added to the pulp at the time it is introduced of fluent matter asa-bove defined, may be subinto a flotation cell. jected to simultaneous agitation and aeration The actual :dotation is best effected by extreme more thoroughly `and advantageously than was agitation of the pulp and thorough simultaneous heretofore known. aeration. By aeration is meant the introduction Another object of the invention is the proof a gas commonly air, but which might also be vision of aeration apparatus that readily can be carbon dioxide, oxygen or any other gas dependcleaned and kept free from the choking effects ing upon the nature of the material and process of accumulated matter, particularly when used involved. This gas with the assistance of the in a mineral flotation operation or the like. notation reagent or reagents, forms innumerable A further object is to provide improvements minute bubbles to which the particles of .mateof this kind that can .easily be installed and used rial to be floated adhere and by which they are on flotation apparatus, or other aeration and/or floated to the surface of the pulp to form a froth, agitation machines, that are already in use. which is then skimmed Aoff to effect the final Other objects and Vadvantages reside in details separation of materials. Ordinarily and within of design and construction which will be more reasonable limits, the more gas that is mixed fully disclosed in the following description and or dissolved in the fluent matter or pulp and in the drawing wherein like parts have been the more intimately such gas is mixed with said similarly designated and in which: fluent matter or pulp, the more efficient and Figure 1 is airagmentary plan view of appacomplete will be the desired separation. ratus built according to this invention and which Usually it is preferable to have a zone of inis well adapted to perform the improved method: tense agitation with aeration in a body of pulp and or the like, above which is a quiescent zone Figure 2 .is a vertical, fragmentary `sectional through which the bubbles rise to form the froth at the surface. It is desirable to have the bubbles rise through the quiescent zone without agitation or too much colliding with each other because disturbances of this kind in the quiescent zone Vmight cause the floated matter to fall back in the liquid body. Various means and methods of agitation and aeration have been used and the present invention resides in a sharp improveview taken approximately along the line v2--2 ofv Figure 1.

In this instant illustration, reference characteni denotes a container for fluent matter which may be merely a mixing or conditioning tanlk,

or it might be considered as one cell of a otation machine. Reference character 6 represents a similar container and if these containers be considered as adjacent cells in a notation apparatus, an overflow connection therebetween may be represented at 1, an inlet to 5 at 8, and an overflow exit from 6 at 9. It is to be definitely understood, however, that this invention is not limited to any kind of a notation apparatus or method and the instant illustration is not even so limited.

Reference character adapted to contain and conduct a flow of gas as above broadly dened. The header I has a branch conductive conduit I2 that is under manual control by a suitable valve I3. rIhe lower end of conduit I2 has a discharge'opening I4 which is preferably inclined between horizontal and vertical and which faces toward a rotary impeller I carried on a hollow shaft I6, which may be rotated through the intermediary of a pulley I'I, which may be driven by a suitable V-belt drive from any convenient prime mover not shown.

The header I5 is provided with another branch conduit I8 which is under manual control b-y means of a suitable angle valve: I9 and which is connected with a sealed chamber that is in conductive communication with the hollow interior of the shaft IS. This conductive communication with the hollow shaft I6 is preferably effected by structure made according to my copending application Serial No. 199,883.

The construction of the impeller I5 is of importance and is preferably according to U. S. Patent No. 1,998,694, issued April 23, 1935, to Arthur J. Weinig. Some of the particular and important features of this type of impeller are that it is provided with certain radially ranging vanes indicated in the present drawing by reference character 2|, and'other vanes 22 that are arranged as chords across a circular disk 23 that supports said vanes. As more fully set out in the above-mentioned patent, the radially ranging vanes 2| impart centrifugal force to the fluent matter in which the impeller is rotated, thus tending to throw such matter that is so acted upon, outwardly of the impeller.

The chord-like vanes 22 have a definite slicing action and they cut across the paths of the fluent matter being outwardly thrown by the centrifugal force of vanes 2l, to thereby introduce a factor of extreme agitation in the fluent matter adjacent the impeller and, further, to draw back into the zone of agitation, certain portions of the fluent matter that are being thrown outwardly by centrifugal action. This type of impeller has been extensively used and has proven of high advantage over common impellers.

It will be seen that the discharge opening I4 of the gas conductive conduit I2 is adjacent the periphery of the impeller I5, and is preferably below the disk 23 thereof. As gas is discharged from header I0 through conduit I2 and out of discharge opening I4, it will immediately be drawn into the zone of intense activity by means of the slicing chord-like vanes 22 and the currents in the fluid matter created thereby in co-v operation with the action of the radially ranging vanes 2I and their resultant fluid currents. This fact produces a degree of aeration or mixing of the gas with the fluent matter that is superior to anything heretofore known or accomplished, and vpermits the use of heavy viscous reagents which thus readily emulsify and which CIK Ill denotes a header in general cannot be used with other types of flotation machines.

Gas may also be introduced into the fluid body in the zone of intense agitation through the intermediary of the branch conduit I8, valve I9, chamber 20, and hollow shaft I6, said shaft I6 being open as is common practice, at its lower extremity, which is substantially at the center of rotation of the impeller I5 and therefore substantially in the center of the Zone of agitation. However, the aeration effected by the discharge of gas at I4 is highly effective and usually suflicient and it is not generally necessary to introduce gas also through the hollow shaft I6. In fact, kan important consideration in the present inventive concept, is that the gas conduits, as exemplified in the drawing as parts I2, I2a and 24, can be installed very easily in apparatus already in use, and even those that lack a hollow impeller shaft.

Another form of the present invention is illustrated wherein reference character I2al represents a branch conduit similar to the conduit I2 hereinabove described, and valve I3a and discharge opening I4a correspond to elements I3 and I4 respectively. Likewise, branch conduit Ia and angle valve I9a correspond' to I8 and I9 hereinabove set forth. Reference character 20a. representsa hollow sealed chamber around a hollow shaft Ilia, through which gas from header I0 may be discharged at the center of a rotary impeller I5a that is made according to the impeller I5 above described in sufficient detail.

Another valve controlled conduit 24 is in conductive connection with the header I0 and is provided with an inclined discharge opening adjacent its lower end, similar to discharge openings I4 and I4a.. The discharge openings of conduits I2a and 24 are preferably at opposite sides of the impeller I5a and located adjacent the periphery thereof.

It will be seen that simultaneous discharge of gas into the fluent body, from conduits I2a and 24, during rotation of the impeller I5a, will be similar to the results hereinabove described but will be highly intensified because of the dual discharge of gas at opposite sides of the periphery of the impeller I5a and the zone of intense agitation created in the fluid body thereby.

The general effect of agitation and aeration according to this disclosure is that streams of fluent matter with or without gas, are thrown outwardly of the impeller by centrifugal action and their paths are sliced across by the chordlike vanes 22 which tend to draw back into the zone of agitation, other currents and portions of the fluent body, together with gas being discharged adjacent the periphery of the impellerV and the agitation zone. Obviously, fluent matter and gas thus drawn into the agitation zone will tend to be again thrown out and, therefore, in the embodiment of the invention shown in receptacle 6 of the drawing, gas drawn into the zone of activity from conduit 24, may travel around with the impeller I5a and then to be thrown out adjacent the discharge por-t I4a of con-duit I2a. Simultaneously, gas being taken into the zone of activity from conduit I2a., may tend to be discharged adjacent conduit 24 or elsewhere around the perimeter of the impeller and the agitation zone.

Obviously, any number of branch discharge conduits similar to conduits I2, I2a and 24 may be used, the present illustrations being merely illustrative examples of reductions to practice.

A particular feature in the present apparatus is the extremely short bend at the lower end of the respective conduits l2, l2a and 24 and the inwardly and downwardly inclined discharge openings illustrated at I4 and 14a. These openings are effective for discharging gas in a direction having both an inward and downward component of motion to insure said gas being drawn into the zone of agitation by the particular action of the impellers as above set forth. Furthermore, this arrangement of the discharge openings provides for ready cleaning of the downwardly ranging conduits, particularly when they are made according to the arrangement exemplified in conduit 24. In this example, a T-ftting 24a has an upwardly facing plug 24h, which may be removed preferably but not necessarily when the gas pressure is turned olf by valve 24o, whereupon a ramrod cleaner may be inserted down through the lower portion of conduit 24, and particularly if the rod is somewhat flexible, it may be projected clear out of the inclined discharge opening to insure thorough cleaning and free passage of gas.

The valves I3 and i3d have been conventionally illustrated but they are preferably of the gate or plug type to permit insertion of the cleaning rod therethrough. Where branch gas lines or conduits, such as l2 and I2a, are directly below the header, plugs 30 or the like, are to be located in the header, in alinement with the branches, so that the cleaning rod may be inserted therethrough, and down through the said conduits.

It will thus be seen that the herein disclosed apparatus for aeration and agitation of a fluent body under any circumstances whatsoever where such aeration and agitation are desirable, are effective for highly and advantageous results and the stated objectives of the invention are fully accomplished.

While this specification discloses preferred means for reducing the present invention to practice and a preferred embodiment of the invendesire to secure by Letters peller having vanes positioned to produce a combined pumping, slicing and striking action causing countercurrent movement of pulp across the periphery of the impeller, the improvement which comprises a gas-delivery conduit having its discharge outlet at the periphery of the impeller.

2. In flotation apparatus, inclusive of a tank and in the lower portion thereof, a rotary impeller having vanes positioned to produce a combined pumping, slicing and striking action causing countercurrent movement of pulp across the periphery of the impeller, the improvement which comprises a gas-delivery conduit having its discharge outlet externally of the periphery of the impeller in proximity thereto.

3. In notation apparatus, inclusive of a tank and in the lower portion thereof, a rotary impeller having vanes positioned to produce a combined pumping, slicing and striking action causing countercurrent movement of pulp across the periphery of the impeller, the improvement which comprises a valve-controlled gas-delivery conduit having its discharge outlet at the periphery of the impeller.

4. In flotation apparatus, inclusive of a tank and in ahe lower portion thereof, a rotary impeller having vanes positioned to produce a corning countercurrent movement of pulp across the periphery of the impeller, the improvement which comprises two gas-delivery conduits having their respective discharge outlets disposed on opposite sides of the impeller at the periphery thereof.

ARTHUR J. WEINIG. 

